Impotency
by Piecrust17
Summary: Oh snap. Doumeki's reservoir of spirit energy seems to be completely drained, leading both boys to question the role he plays in Watanuki's life. Rated M for language and boyxboy lovin'.
1. Threat

**Disclaimer:** It's probably a good thing that I don't own any of the Clamp characters – the Clamp ladies do a lovely job on their own.

**A/N:** So…here's another story I'm working on. I'll update the other one soon, but school has been pretty crazy this week. Hopefully some writing will get down over the weekend.

**Impotency**

**Chapter 1: Threat**

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help me?!" The lanky boy glared daggers over his shoulder. A pair of golden eyes stared disinterestedly back

"My hands are full." The other boy rumbled in a low voice, looking down at the half-eaten bento he was carrying, and surreptitiously withdrawing a piece of leftover inari sushi. He lifted it to his lips languidly, watching the mouth of the boy in front of him open and close wordlessly in silent indignation.

"Besides, carrying those textbooks home was your idea, if I remember correctly. The test isn't until Thursday, you know." Watanuki Kimihiro straightened up to his full height (an impressive 5'7) so that his nose was directly level with the golden-eyed boy's chin.

"At least I actually study! Would it kill you to pick up a book once and a while, you illiterate jerk?!" Said books remained clutched in Watanuki's arms, feeling slightly embarrassed at all the negative attention they were receiving.

"Fine!" he huffed when he received no response. "But don't go feeling all guilty when I trip and get a concussion."

"Alright." was the reply.

"…"

It had rained the night before, and the narrow streets were full of cloudy puddles. They had gone barely a few feet when Watanuki tripped and fell flat on his face, the books flying out of his hands. He rose slowly, dripping and furious.

"DOUMEKI!!! YOU ASSHOLE!! IF YOU HAD TAKEN THE BOOKS LIKE I HAD ASKED…" Watanuki's screaming was muffled only slightly by the finger Doumeki had inserted into his ear. The severely irritated boy collected his muddy books and did his best to clean himself off, yelling all the while.

Doumeki continued walking, while Watanuki followed, barely pausing in his tirade to take a breath. Several minutes went by. When he suddenly fell silent, Doumeki breathed out a small sigh of relief, withdrawing the finger. It was only until he saw the expression on the other boy's face that he realized something was wrong.

Watanuki's face had turned white, and his eyes had grown impossibly large. It was an expression Doumeki had seen many times in the past, and he knew what it meant. Closing his right eye confirmed his suspicions – suspended directly in front of them was a gigantic cloud.

It was the color of spilled engine oil, full of blacks and yellows and swirls of blue. Doumeki thought he could pick out images and faces in the undulating mass. It was almost mesmerizing. The greasy cloud grew until it blocked the road completely, and began to extend tendrils of darkness towards Watanuki, who emitted a small whimper and took a shaky step back. Doumeki was puzzled. Normally his presence managed to scare off the spirits that haunted Watanuki, but this particular spirit didn't seem frightened by him in the least. Oh well, he'd just have to take care of it. He pulled out the bow he always carried with him and, focusing his energy into an invisible arrow, fired at the gurgling mass.

Seconds passed.

"WHAT'S WRONG??" Watanuki screamed. "SHOOT IT ALREADY!"

"I did."

"WELL OBVIOUSLY YOU DIDN'T, SEEING AS HOW IT'S STILL THERE!" Watanuki was starting to hyperventilate. Running away and screaming was beginning to sound like a really good idea.

The spirit, realizing that the bigger boy, though scary looking, was no longer a threat, began once again to ooze towards Watanuki, who was currently paralyzed with fear.

"Shit." Doumeki muttered. He raised his bow again, and focused, a bead of sweat appearing on his forehead. His fingers released, but still, nothing happened. The spirit wrapped its tendrils around Watanuki's right leg, and before either boy had a chance to retaliate, pulled the seer back onto the muddy ground.

"DOUMEKI!" Watanuki screamed, floundering on the wet pavement. "DO SOMETHING, IDIOT!" So Doumeki did the only thing he could think of – he grabbed the fallen Watanuki by the waist and took off for the temple, leaving the spirit behind.

By the time the two boys reached the temple, it had begun to rain. The usually tireless Doumeki was breathing heavily, and the limp Watanuki flung over his shoulder had long ago ceased struggling. He hadn't stopped complaining, though.

"What the fuck WAS that? Why couldn't you shoot it?! That thing was going to eat me!" He wouldn't have admitted it aloud, but Doumeki's tense silence and refusal to let him down scared Watanuki. At this point, he was doing everything in his power to get some kind of reaction from the stoic archer. The usual tactics weren't working.

"…eat my bentos, flirt with MY HIMAWARI CHAN, and are a general pain in the ass. What's the point of keeping an excorcist like you around if you can't even kill spirits!?" Watanuki knew he was being insensitive, but the archer's silence was growing increasingly irritating. Not to mention, the way Doumeki had his hands wrapped around the boy's waist was embarrassing, and the unnatural feeling of his pelvis grinding against the archer's broad shoulders was making a healthy blush rise to the seer's cheeks. And speaking of cheeks…

"Get your ass OUT OF MY FACE!" Doumeki remained silent, but slipped his hands an inch higher on the boy's thighs. It might have been accidental_. Please let it have been accidental... _Watanuki fell quiet.

After several minutes of walking (or in Watanuki's case, being carried), they finally reached the temple. Sliding the door open, Doumeki kicked off his shoes and trod wetly into the house, Watanuki still dangling unresistingly off of his shoulder.

"Tadaima." He muttered, and proceeded directly to his room, dumping his cargo unceremoniously onto a futon. Silently, he pulled two dry sets of clothes from a chest of drawers and tossed one to Watanuki, keeping the other for himself. He left before the other boy could say a word.

When he made it to the empty living room, he slid into one of the deep couches, heedless of the wet state he was in, put his head in his hands, and allowed himself to shake.

* * *

Poor Doumeki...

I realize that there are some kinks and OOCness, and I will work on polishing those up in the near future :)

Reviews please!


	2. Awakenings

**A/N:**So far, this is a pretty typical 104 story. It'll get a little crazier soon though, I promise! Sorry about not updating over the weekend, I was working on school junk. Thank you all for your kind comments! All my college applications got sent successfully, so now I've got much more time to doodle around on the computer and write fanfiction. Hooray!

**WARNING!!!**This chapter has a tiiiiny spoiler for xxxHolic chapters 140 and up. Nothing to worry about really, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Awakenings**

From the moment Doumeki first met Watanuki, he had felt strangely attracted to him. Of course, everyone was attracted to Watanuki (manjuu buns, psycho witches, floating eyes, and pipe foxes included), but there was something about the boy other than his ability to see spirits that drew the archer in, something different – the way he chewed the end of his pencil during math tests, the way he looked in an apron, the way he talked to himself when he thought no one was paying attention…

But Doumeki was always paying attention. (1)

He couldn't help picking a fight that one day, the day that he had first spoken with Watanuki. It was after gym, and Watanuki was fumbling around blindly for a towel to wash his face with. In an uncharacteristic act of sensitivity that had the nearby boys staring, Doumeki tossed his to the seer, who instead of catching it let it hit him smack dab in the face. Spluttering and outraged, Watanuki grabbed his glasses to confront his provoker, only to find the dull face of Doumeki staring out at him, an amused smirk tugging at the side of his mouth.

"What the hell do you think you're doing??" Watanuki had screamed in a shrill voice. It had been impossible to take him seriously with the towel hanging off of his head, and water dripping all over the shirt of his school uniform, and for a few moments, Doumeki actually thought he would laugh.

"Idiot." He had mumbled instead. The screaming that followed attracted the attention of the gym coach, and they were both asked to stay after school.

From then on, the blue-eyed boy was a constant source of amusement to Doumeki. The bentos, the name-calling, the condescension and the 'Oi's were all his way of getting a rise out of Watanuki, and he was willing to put up with the yelling and the insults if it meant getting to spend more time with the seer.

But lately, things had been getting a little strange (stranger than usual, anyway). Doumeki had been feeling…things…towards Watanuki. Things that would scare the other boy if he knew, the archer had no doubt. Things that scared Doumeki, if he were perfectly honest about it. Too many times had he woken up in the middle of the night from a dream, covered in sweat and painfully hard, gasping Watanuki's name. The guilt he felt after these dreams was immeasurable. It was wrong for him to be thinking these things about Watanuki, the same Watanuki who had probably never been kissed, never thought about sex, and most certainly never stayed up late at night jacking off to images of his best friend underneath him. It was wrong, and Doumeki knew it, but he still couldn't help staring when Watanuki took off his shirt after gym, couldn't help occasionally running his hands through the other boy's hair while he was unconscious after one of their more difficult missions. But Watanuki was his first real friend and he didn't want to lose him over something like this, so he had no choice but to keep his new-found feelings to himself. He was schooled in hiding his emotions, so hiding his feelings on this particular subject shouldn't have been very difficult.

However there had been one day where he had almost given everything away.

The day itself started off normal - Watanuki was practically dead on his feet at the end of a rough fight with a pair of restless twin spirits, and Doumeki had, despite the boy's tired protests, insisted on walking him home.

"Don't you have anything better to do, Doumeki? I mean seriously, this whole babysitting routine is getting old." Watanuki yawned and stumbled a bit.

Doumeki reflexively reached out an arm and grabbed him before he fell. "Maybe if you were less of a baby, Yuuko wouldn't find me walking with you necessary." Glaring at him, Watanuki jerked his arm away and walked faster. Doumeki accordingly sped up his own pace, which frustrated the other boy considerably.

"Don't you have anyone else to hang out with?? Get a girlfriend or something!!"

"I don't want a girlfriend."

"What, you're too good for the girls at our school? And don't lie, because I know you're after Himawari, you bastard!"

Doumeki rolled his eyes.

"I'm not after Kunogi, and I don't want a girlfriend."

There was a pause, and after a few seconds, Watanuki turned to Doumeki, his bright blue eyes as big as saucers.

"You're not….you don't…like _anyone?_" The idea seemed completely preposterous to Watanuki. "Do you even have _feelings?"_

"I didn't say I didn't like anyone."

"But then…"

"We're here." They had made it to the apartment complex, and Doumeki stood by the stairs pointedly, waiting for Watanuki to go up. But Watanuki refused to give up.

"Who do you like?"

"That's none of your business."

The blue-eyed boy grinned, recognizing an opportunity to get under Doumeki's skin.

"It's Takamura-chan, isn't it? You know she's been after you for ages."

"Takamura…" Watanuki stared at the archer incredulously.

"Are you so wrapped up in yourself that you don't pay attention to ANYONE AROUND YOU?" _I pay attention to you _Doumeki thought, but remained silent.

"You're insufferable." And without another word, Watanuki collapsed. Doumeki managed to catch him by his collar right before his head hit the ground.

"Idiot." He muttered, worried about Watanuki, but relieved that the awkward conversation was over. This wasn't the first time Watanuki had passed out like this. Lately the boy had been falling asleep at strange (and sometimes dangerous) intervals (2). Tucking one arm behind the boy's knees and the other bracing his back, he lifted Watanuki like a baby and carried him up the apartment stairs. The key was hidden (predictably) in the soil of a potted plant, and Doumeki somehow managed to unlock and kick the apartment door open without disturbing the sleeping boy.

The apartment was as sterile as always. Watanuki's domestic skills never failed to amaze Doumeki, although he took care not to let on as much. His own cooking and cleaning abilities paled in comparison. Ever since Watanuki had begun to make him bentos, Doumeki had grown lazy and stopped cooking altogether- his food tasted like dirt compared to even the simplest of Watanuki's lunches, so it just wasn't worth it.

He carried the sleeping boy to his room, and gently lay him down on his futon. Watanuki gave a soft moan that made Doumeki jerk away in surprise. If the boy woke up and caught him this close, there would be hell to pay. But his lips…oh god, they looked so soft…hard to believe that those were the same lips that had been cursing at him only minutes before. As the moonlight streamed in through the partially opened window (Doumeki made a mental note to close it before he left) Watanuki's pale skin seemed to glow with an unearthly light. The shadows that played across his face accentuated the boy's almost elven features in a way that made the archer catch his breath.

"Doumeki…need…"

_What?_ The archer leaned forward, trying to catch Watanuki's softly mumbled words.

"…need…you."_Need…me? _Doumeki felt a hot blush creep up his neck and tint his cheeks. _Is Watanuki having…_that_ kind of dream about me?_ Doumeki had never before considered that Watanuki might return his feelings. True, he sometimes fantasized himself and the seer together, but those were only fantasies. _But this…_ a tiny spark of hope flared up in the archer's heart.

"Doumeki…I want you…" the boy said again. Doumeki could never say no to that voice. Before he knew what he was doing, he had climbed over the restless sleeper and was leaning in close until his lips and Watanuki's were only centimeters apart. It was like his body had a mind of it's own. They were so close…

"…to STOP STEALING MY SHRIMP GODDAMNIT!!!" Watanuki's scream startled Doumeki so much that he threw himself backwards, landing on the hardwood floor. Watanuki sat up abruptly, narrowly avoiding slamming Doumeki in the face, and slowly blinked his eyes.

"Doumeki?" Doumeki froze. _Oh shit. _For a few moments, the two stared at each other. _Busted…_was all Doumeki could think, and slowly began counting down in his head. 20 seconds passed before Watanuki's eyes closed again, his head fell back onto the pillow and he began to snore. Loudly.

_Oh._A flood of emotions surged through the archer, the predominant one being disappointment. _So he wasn't dreaming about me like that after all. _It had been foolish to get his hopes up. Even if Watanuki did go for guys (which he certainly did not, judging from his obsession with Kunogi) he hated Doumeki's guts. There was no way the two of them could ever be anything more than friends. Maybe one day, when Watanuki finally got his wish, Doumeki would confess his feelings, but until then, it was best to keep them to himself.

Once he had fully composed himself, Doumeki rose, gently shut the window and left the apartment, taking care to lock the door behind him.

* * *

1. This is meant to be romantic, not creepy.

2. Spoiler! (Kinda.)

This chapter was interesting to write, and took a lot more time than it should have. Apparently, I get nervous writing lemony-ish stuff.

Speaking of which, I'll bake a cyber cookie for anyone who can tell me where the lime/lemon reference comes from. What does sex have to do with lemons? I don't understand...

Thanks for reading!


	3. Frustrations

**Disclamer**: I do not own Clamp. If I did, x/1999 would be finished, and would have a happy ending, gosh-darnit!! FuumaxKamui OTP!!!

**A/N**: Man, this chapter took for-frikin-ever!! The words in bold are Watanuki and Doumeki's evil inner voices. Just to clarify. For some reason, FF isn't letting me italicise some stuff, so I'm marking italiced stuff with (i). :)

Hope everyone had a lovely Turkey-day!

* * *

Chapter 3: Frustrations 

When Watanuki woke up the next morning, he was staring at a familiar ceiling.

"Oh great. Not again…"

What was he doing here? Memories from the night before came flooding back: dropping his books, meeting up with that spirit, being pulled to the ground (again) and the feeling of Doumeki's hands sliding up his thighs as he…wait, how did that get in there?

Watanuki shook his head furiously_. I did NOT just remember that. That is a very unpleasant memory. Extremely unpleasant._ Um…moving right along…

They had run back to the temple and Doumeki had tossed him on the futon, but what had happened after that Watanuki couldn't remember. He must have changed into Doumeki's pajamas at some point, because he recognized the embarrassingly large flannel pants and shirt.

Looking around, he saw that the room was empty aside from the futon and a small desk. There was a bookshelf leaning against the opposite wall, and Watanuki could make out the names of old Shinto texts and a few books in English that he didn't recognize.

_Catcher in the…what?_ English was possibly Watanuki's worst subject, next to math. Doumeki on the other hand was really good at it, and it pissed the other boy off.

_Pff. The guy thinks he's so smart, having English books in his room. He probably just put_ _them there to show off for all his temple girlfriends. Asshole._ The sound of the door sliding open alerted Watanuki to said asshole's presence.

"It's 7:30."

"Good morning to you too."

"I want pancakes."

"MAKE YOUR OWN PANCAKES!!!" (i) How dare he talk to me like that? (i) "I'M NOT YOUR SERVANT, YOU GLUTTINOUS OAF!!"

Doumeki grunted in reply, which made Watanuki even more irritated. He began to babble.

"What, so you can't even make your own pancakes? Now, that's just pathetic. I've been making pancakes since I was five years old. I bet you don't even have the right ingredients..." He continued talking as he migrated into the kitchen, Doumeki following close behind, anticipating a good breakfast.

The pancakes were, like all the food Watanuki made, delicious. Their meal passed in silence, broken only by the occasional sound of fork against plate. It wasn't unusual for them to eat meals together like this, but both boys knew that something was off.

Despite what the archer always said, Watanuki was no idiot. He was a little naïve, sure, but it didn't take a genius to know something was bothering Doumeki. Watanuki was concerned about what had happened last night, but the archer was obviously taking it a great deal harder.

_Well, that's no surprise. He hates to lose, after all. Come to think of it, last night was the first time I've ever seen him unable to fire his spirit bow…ever since the 100-ghost stories, I guess I assumed he had an infinite amount of ammo. Maybe he's just tired? That's probably it._ Watanuki tried to ignore the nagging voice in the back of his head:

_**Or maybe he's broken.**_

* * *

Meanwhile, across the table, Doumeki was having his own internal struggle.

(i) Why am I feeling so guilty? It's not like last night was my fault! At least, I don't think it was my fault. I was born with this ability, there's no way it could just disappear. And what about Watanuki? Is he angry with me? (i)

Watanuki's words from last night echoed in his head: _"What's the point in keeping an exorcist like you around if you can't even kill spirits!?" What _is_ the point?_

"What's wrong with you? Seriously, you're acting really strange." Watanuki tried and failed to mask the concern in his voice. "Stranger than usual, anyway." He added quickly.

_You're telling me_ thought Doumeki, almost bitterly. He hadn't slept in a good 30 hours, and was feeling irritable and sluggish. Still, Watanuki's concern was comforting.

"Worried about me?"

"You wish!!! It was just annoying me, that's all…" the seer's voice trailed off, and he looked down at his hands embarrassedly. _Is Watanuki blushing?_

"We're going to Yuuko's today." Doumeki declared suddenly.

"What!? Why? It's my day off!"

"We're going, Watanuki." At the archer's tone, Watanuki looked up from where his hands were fiddling with the tablecloth, but Doumeki's eyes were as expressionless as always.

"Fine. But you're going to eat whatever I put in your bento tomorrow, no requests or complaints." Watanuki took Doumeki's grunt as an assent.

"We need to stop by my apartment so I can change clothes, there's no way I'm going to Yuuko's dressed like this." He gestured at the shirt that was practically hanging off of his shoulders, and the pants that were far too large.

_I wouldn't mind if you went out dressed like that._ Doumeki thought to himself, eying the boy's pale shoulders. Even sleepy and cranky, Watanuki looked dead sexy. It took every fiber of the archer's being not to reach out and caress that porcelain skin, run his tongue along the smoothly accentuated collarbone and take him, right there on the table…

_**It would be so easy**_ said a taunting voice inside his head. _**You'd make him enjoy it…**_Doumeki stood up abruptly and carried his plate to the sink.

_No. He's my friend. I would never take advantage of him. He's Watanuki, for crying out loud!_

"Let's go." He said gruffly. _Before I do something stupid._

* * *

On the way to Yuuko's, the boys encountered several spirits. Luckily, none were that large or powerful and they stayed far enough away that Doumeki didn't find it necessary to use his bow-which was probably just as well. He didn't want to embarrass himself like he had yesterday, not to mention risk putting Watanuki's life in danger.

The walk seemed to last hours, and by the time the boys had reached the little house, they were both out of breath. This was normal for skinny, high-strung Watanuki, but Doumeki was surprised at how weak he felt. He hadn't been doing anything especially strenuous lately, aside from the usual archery practice and gym. Could the fatigue be related to his new inability to repel spirits? Hopefully Yuuko would be able to tell him more.

Two small girls came running up to the gate to greet them.

"Doumeki-kun and Nuki-Nuki to see mistress!" (2)

Upon noticing the lack of honorifics, 'Nuki-Nuki' opened his mouth to yell, only to be muffled by the black ball of manjuu that had jumped up and plastered itself onto his face.

"Hooray!!!" The Mokona squealed. The girls clasped hands and danced around Watanuki, laughing. When they reached the house, Watanuki still grappling at Mokona, the girls slid open the rice paper doors leading to Yuuko's drawing room, revealing the Dimensional Witch lounging on her couch, dressed in yet another silk kimono. As always, this one left little to the imagination.

She dangled a glass of sake between two slender fingers and crossed her legs so that the kimono rode up suggestively. Her attractiveness was lost on Watanuki and Doumeki, however, and upon recognizing this, Yuuko sighed.

They were really missing out.

"Hello boys."

"Hey." Doumeki muttered while Watanuki screamed obscenities that were stifled by Mokona's furry body.

"Nuki-Nuki has a potty mouth!" Mokona squealed, laughing at the boy's failed attempts to shake him off.

"Watanuki, why don't you and Mokona go into the kitchen and make some pancakes?"

Finally succeeding in peeling the manjuu off of his face, Watanuki glared daggers at it.

"Get OFF me, you pork bun!!" Facing Yuuko, he put his hands on his hips. "Oh, and would you like some beer with that? And how about I mix rum into the batter?" Watanuki's sarcasm was lost on the witch.

"What a fantastic idea!" Yuuko clapped her hands together happily. "Mokona, take Nuki-Nuki to the rum cabinet."

"I could find my way there with my eyes closed!!"

"Watanuki…"

"Alright, alright."

When the sound of Watanuki's footsteps and Mokona's shrill voice had faded away, Yuuko turned to where Doumeki was sitting patiently in seiza.

"You have questions for me."

Doumeki nodded curtly. This was harder than he had thought it would be. Of course, Yuuko knew perfectly well why he was there. Unfortunately, he knew she was going to make him say it himself.

"Watanuki and I encountered a small spirit last night, and not only could it approach us, I was unable to fire my bow and banish it. After that incident, I tried again several times on my own, but couldn't collect enough energy to form an arrow."

Yuuko nodded thoughtfully.

"Why do you think this is?" She asked.

"At first, I thought it might be from lack of sleep, but…"

"People blame a lot of things on lack of sleep. Sometimes that is what is responsible; sometimes it is just an excuse. (1) In this case, lack of sleep has nothing to do with it. The real reason is a bit more complicated." She took a breath.

"You've been focusing so much on suppressing your feelings for…someone" she looked pointedly over to where Watanuki and Mokona who had found the rum and were now engaged in what appeared to be a spatula duel, "that you've begun to suppress your spirit energy as well. This kind of thing is unhealthy for an exorcist such as yourself, and can have disastrous consequences."

There was a heavy pause, during which the sound of breaking porcelain could be heard through the closed kitchen door, accompanied by the screams of a very angry Watanuki.

"Part of the reason you make such a fine exorcist is because you are both spiritually and psychologically balanced. It is only by maintaining that delicate balance that you are able to handle a force as chaotic as spirit energy. Unrestrained, that energy can do a lot of damage to both the wielder and the people around him."

"So what can I do?"

"Well, you can either confess to Watanuki, or find another way to…vent your feelings, so to speak." Doumeki didn't miss the smirk. "But until then, you won't be able to successfully drive away spirits or conjure arrows."

"So basically I'm…"

"Sexually frustrated, yes."

"Oh."

"Your pancakes are ready, Yuuko-o." A sarcastic voice came from the doorway. Doumeki stiffened as the object of his frustrations stepped into the room, bearing a plate laden with what appeared to be rum pancakes.

"Why thank you, Watanuki! Addressing me with the respect that I deserve. I'm touched." The witch wiped a crocodile tear from the corner of her eye, before turning to the stack of pancakes with childish delight. Mokona hopped in, carrying it's own stack of pancakes and a bottle of rum."

"Syrup!" It explained to Yuuko.

"Of course! What a smart little Mokona you are!" Watanuki stared at the two distastefully, before turning to Doumeki.

"Would you like something to drink? I might as well get it while I'm up."

"Daifuku."

"THAT'S NOT A DRINK!!! I MADE YOU PANCAKES THIS MORNING, YOU BOTTOMLESS PIT!!!"

_Well,_ thought Doumeki wistfully as he stuck a finger in his ear, _confessing is definitely out of the picture._

* * *

(1) I seem to recall Yuuko saying something like this to Watanuki at some point...I couldn't find it in any of the books when I looked. 

(2) Someone called Watanuki this in a fanfic I read recently, but again, I can't find who it was. Anyway, I thought it was a super adorable nickname. (Maybe they used it in the manga too, I can't remember.) PieCrust's memory officially sucks.

Oh my. Rum pancakes sound pretty delicious right about now. Unfortunately, I don't have a little Watanuki to go make me any, so I've got to scrounge something up myself. It'll probably end up being macaroni and cheese. (sighs) Thank you all for your lovely reviews! They really make me happy :) And thank you to LetTheWildRumpusBegin and GothicShadow for explaining about the Lemons reference! Cookies for you both.

Until next week!


	4. Temptations

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Clamp. If I did, xxxHolic and Tsubasa RC would update faithfully EVERY WEEK, and Kobato would have over 10 volumes by now. But it would also be really crappy, so it's probably a good thing I don't. Heh.

** A/N: **Oh dear oh dear oh dear. It took me roughly 1,000,000 hours to figure out where this chapter was going. I must have re-written it 4 times before it finally started to un-suck itself. So yeah, sorry about the late update. I'm in the middle of the next chapter, so it should be up within the next couple of days. Diving Into You is on a temp. hiatus, cuz I'm liking this story a lot better right now, but DON'T WORRY! I'll be picking it up again soon

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Chapter 4: Temptations 

Doumeki was a pretty chill guy. Years of meditation had trained him to remain calm in stressful situations, and years of archery had taught him how to focus. Right now however, he was having a bit of trouble with both.

_Pull them up pull them up pull them _UP! Unfortunately for the archer (or perhaps not so unfortunately, considering the thoughts he had been having lately) Watanuki did not read minds, so the boy's pants remained dangerously low on his hips, exposing his slender waist and a pair of thin and extremely grabbable (1) love handles.

On any other night Doumeki would have been able to look the other way, but for some reason he was currently unable to tear his eyes off of that sliver of white skin that peeked so provokingly out at him.

It wasn't so much the love handles themselves, but the entire waist that fascinated Doumeki. He imagined encircling that waist with his long arms and pulling the boy firmly against him into an embrace.

Watanuki's skin would be so soft against his rough hands, like (Doumeki's mind tried to come up with a decent comparison, but failed (2)) soft skin. He knew that for a fact, actually: the boy had amazingly soft skin.

But what would Watanuki's reaction be? There would be screaming, no doubt.

_**He'd like it.**__** Of **_**course**_** he'd like it. It would just take him a little while to get used to the idea. **_

_Shuttup. He definitely wouldn't. _

_**You're being unreasonable. Who wouldn't give in to you? One gentle touch and he'd be puddy in your –**_

_I said shut _up_! I should _not _be thinking about this right now. We're on a mission. … I'll think about it later._

It had only been a few days since the incident, and Doumeki was feeling slightly frazzled. Actually, 'slightly' was a bit of an understatement.

He refused to let Watanuki out of his sight for a single minute, and had spent the past two nights in the seer's apartment, afraid that the moment he left, Watanuki would be assaulted by spirits.

The thing that disturbed Doumeki the most however was the fact that his constant presence didn't seem to be helping Watanuki in the slightest. Like the witch said, he had definitely lost a lot of his spirit-repelling abilities. He hadn't had a chance to try out any of Yuuko's 'cures', because…well, being around Watanuki all the time made it a bit too dangerous.

There was no way he was going to risk the seer walking in on him while he was…busy. Yeah, it'd just have to wait.

But until then, Watanuki was going to have to put up with him.

For his part, Watanuki had seemed more on-edge than usual. He snapped at Doumeki more frequently, and even neglected to jump for joy every time Himawari was near, choosing instead to give her a distracted wave and smile.

To Himawari's credit, she didn't seem to notice. Sometimes it astounded Doumeki how dense she could be. (She could never be as dense as his Watanuki though.)

Although Watanuki might have been unwilling to admit it, Doumeki knew that the boy was seeing more spirits than normal. It was the way the seer's eyes shifted unconsciously from side to side, as though he was checking for invisible stalkers (which was, essentially, what he was doing).

That, and the occasionally glimpse through his right eye (3) indicated that his hunch was correct. The spirits were everywhere. Small, but everwhere.

Doumeki was surprised Watanuki hadn't confronted him about it yet, although when put into a historical context, it made sense. Watanuki hated the fact that he depended on Doumeki to protect him from harm, and was probably too embarrassed to ask his arch-nemesis why he was being plagued by so many more spirits than usual.

* * *

Meanwhile…"Would you quit staring?! It's making me uncomfortable." Watanuki's face had turned pink under Doumeki's scrutiny, and he fidgeted awkwardly with his hands. Doumeki had to make a conscious effort to tear his eyes away. 

The muffled sounds of music and laughter alerted the two boys that they were close to their destination. Strangely enough, it hadn't been a long walk from Watanuki's apartment to the club.

Neither boy had known of it's existence before Yuuko had sent them on this mission, and so it was a surprise to both of them to see the bright neon sign flashing CLOVER in brilliant letters directly above them.

_Clover? What kind of name is that? _Watanuki took a deep breath in, before putting a determined expression on his face.

_Brace yourself, Watanuki. Just think about how wonderful it will be, not being hunted by spirits anymore. Just think about how nice it will be not being forced to hang out with Doumeki every minute of every day. _

Somehow, this last thought failed to give him as much pleasure as it had in the past. Shaking his head, the boy decided not to think about it, choosing instead to adjust his pants so they didn't ride so low on his waist.

The attempt, however, was in vain. _Stupid pants. Stupid club. Stupid Doumeki. Stupid Yuuko! _

Back at the shop, the Dimensional Witch had practically forced him out of his school uniform, giving him instead a pair of tight jeans, a long-sleeved fishnet shirt, pair of black combat boots and finally, a studded collar with a strange silver ring in the center, directly above Watanuki's clavicle. (4)

It was a weird looking thing, and needless to say, he felt like an idiot.

It had taken the combined efforts of Yuuko, Mokona, Maru and Moro, and even Doumeki, in his own, subtle way, to get Watanuki to consent to wearing the ensemble, and he was now severely regretting his decision. At least he had escaped before Yuuko had been able to bring out the makeup…

Doumeki, to Watanuki's dismay, didn't look at all uncomfortable in his baggy, ripped jeans, white undershirt and studded wrist cuffs (to match with Watanuki's collar, no doubt. Yuuko had a twisted sense of humor).

He might even go so far as to say that the archer looked…fairly decent. As decent as he could, anyway, being Doumeki and all.

"Shouldn't we go inside?" The admittedly decent-looking archer interrupted Watanuki from his thoughts.

"Shuttup, idiot. We have to get our tickets first, you know!"

Doumeki pulled a set of tickets out of his back pocket and flicked Watanuki between the eyes. "Got em."

Watanuki flushed pink at this, though it was hard to tell with the bright oranges and greens dancing across his face. _I guess there's no stopping it then…_the seer sighed resignedly. "Ok, let's do this."

* * *

Doumeki had been unhappy with this plan from the get-go. When Yuuko first mentioned the word 'club', alarm bells began ringing in his head. Somehow, Watanuki at a club just didn't seem like a good idea. 

The loud music, flashing lights, and crowded dance floor were bound to throw the boy into an epileptic fit. Not to mention all the spirits that were sure to be hanging around…sexual predator spirits, no doubt.

Why on earth couldn't Yuuko buy her liquor from a store like a normal person? There must be some ulterior motive, her sending them out on a ridiculous mission like this, but what was it…?

Doumeki shrugged inwardly. He'd find out eventually. In the meantime, Watanuki needed to quit distracting him with that damned fishnet shirt of his.

They had made it to the front of the club without incident. Watanuki was staring into space, and didn't notice when Doumeki bought them both tickets and started steering him to the entrance.

The neon light from the sign made Watanuki's pale skin glow, and Doumeki thought that he caught a glimpse of his navel when Watanuki finally turned to face him. Not that he was looking. Aw hell, he _was_ looking. Stupid fishnets.

"Shouldn't we go inside?" Watanuki's quietness was starting to disturb the archer.

"Shuttup, idiot. We have to get our tickets first, you know!" That was more like it.

"Got em." Doumeki flicked Watanuki in the forehead with the tickets and walked through the entrance, keeping a close eye on the boy beside him.

"Ok" he heard the seer mutter to himself, and Doumeki could see a faint blush on his cheeks (or maybe it was just the light?) "let's do this."

They both stepped through the glass door marked "Club Clover, Entrance" and into the noise.

_Please let this end well _prayed Doumeki to whichever god would listen.

* * *

(1) That's right, grabbable is a word. ;;; 

(2) PC tried to come up w/ a good comparison and failed.

(3) Crap, which eye was it again? What with the Shaorans, Fai and Seishiro, I get a bit confused. Silly Clamp and their strange obsession with eye gouging.

(4) Sound familiar?

Sorry this chapter jumped around a lot. It keeps switching perspectives, and will probably continue to do so until this story is over. So if that makes you dizzy, I apologize.

Coming up next: loud music, booze, and guest appearances from some of our favorite Clamp characters.

Reviews please!


	5. Clubbing

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Clamp, but I do own a Clamp in Cardland Starter Deck! I will when it comes in the mail, that is.

**A/N: **Hooray for quick updates! Thanks for all your reviews last time, they were really nice. I don't deserve such lovely readers. I know it's short, but I'll be posting another one soon.

* * *

Chapter 5: Clubbing 

It was a gay club. (1)

That much was easy to guess. The second Doumeki and Watanuki entered, they almost bumped into two men playing tonsil hockey; Watanuki froze, and Doumeki continued walking, unfazed.

"Oi. Watanuki. Quit staring."

"I WAS NOT!" The seer clapped his hands over his mouth when he realized just how loud his denial had been. A few people laughed, then ignored him. Some, however, gave him looks that weren't so innocent, and a few made as if to approach him. This didn't make Doumeki very happy. He reached out for the boy and steered him away.

That was one problem with Yuuko's outfit - Doumeki wasn't the only person who thought Watanuki was attractive. He considered putting his arm around the boy to show everyone else who the seer really belonged to, but changed his mind. Knowing Watanuki, that wouldn't go over too well. He settled with glaring murderously at anyone who looked their way.

There was a clear line drawn between the dancing men and women, much like in a middle school dance – girls on one side, boys on the other. Unlike a middle school dance however, the boys were grinding with the boys, and the girls with the girls. Also, the music didn't suck. (2)

_And it's no good waiting by the window_

_It's no good waiting for the sun_

_Please believe me, the things you dream of_

_They don't fall in the laps of no-one _

Doumeki certainly wasn't uncomfortable with the idea of a gay bar, but Watanuki was having a difficult time.

"What the hell?!" the seer yelled (although it was difficult to hear over the noise). "What are we doing _here_?!"

_Getting alcohol_ Doumeki would have replied, but it wasn't worth the effort of raising his voice. He was content just watching Watanuki's reactions. The emotions expressed on Watanuki's face were entertaining, to say the least.

The seer pulled Doumeki over to the other side of the door, and lowered his voice.

"Doumeki, this is a…a…a…gay bar!"

_No shit Sherlock._

_"_Yes...?" _  
_

Watanuki turned bright red.

"I mean...I mean…" Doumeki arched an eyebrow. "We shouldn't be in here! We're two straight guys in a gay bar!"

"Are we?" The words were out before Doumeki had a chance to restrain them.

_Oops._

Watanuki looked at him strangely.

"In a gay bar? Well, yeah." Doumeki internally rolled his eyes. _What an idiot_..

After a few seconds, Watanuki's own eyes widened considerably.

"Wait, what did you mean by that?"

Doumeki chose that moment to hand their tickets to a heavy-set man with a strange bat-looking symbol tattooed on his left arm and an extremely cleft chin. He stamped a green four-leafed clover on the back of their hands before gruffly waving them through.

Watanuki had gone from being indignant to confused and now appeared to be in shock. It was obvious he had never been to a club like this before, though Doumeki wasn't surprised.

Watanuki definitely didn't seem like the clubbing type.

Doumeki had been clubbing before with his archery buddies, but they had never gone to a gay club, so this was a new experience for him as well. An experience he was hoping never to repeat. He preferred the quiet of his temple.

The club was bigger and a lot more impressive than it had looked from the outside. The crowded dance floor took up the majority of the room, but Doumeki could see a fairly sizeable bar in the far back. Instinctively, he reached out and grabbed Watanuki by the hand. _The sooner we get out of this the better _he thought to himself, and began to walk purposefully through the crowd, towing an unresisting Watanuki behind him.

_You're beautiful, you are_

_And you know it_

_You're wasted here, you're a star_

_In this small town of hand-me-downs who don't even know it_

* * *

Watanuki had never before seen so many people packed in such a small space. As hard as he tried while being pulled behind Doumeki, he couldn't avoid being surrounded and jostled by dozens of sweaty and practically naked bodies. He could feel some of the hot gazes directed his way, and for once was glad of Doumeki's hand in his. 

_Not because it feels nice or anything._

The air was thick with smoke from the fog machines and what he could only assume was cigarettes (he definitely knew that smell by now).

As they fought their way through the mass of bodies, Watanuki couldn't help staring.

_It's morbid curiosity _he reassured himself.

_Perfectly understandable for someone in my position. Speaking of positions…what are those two doing? It looks like they're having se-_

Watanuki was jerked back to earth when he felt Doumeki's warm and maybe a little bit nice-feeling hand slip from his. _Oh crap oh crap oh crap!! _He couldn't see where Doumeki had gone because of all of the people wedged between them.

Pushing his way forward, he caught a brief glimpse of Doumeki before getting a face-full of shoulder.

"OH! I'm so sorry!!" The seer's face flushed a vibrant red as he stepped back from whomever he had bumped into, rubbing his nose. He looked around for Doumeki, but the man in front of him was blocking his view.

"No worries" the man assured him. He was of medium height, and had short, blond hair. His bangs fell across his face, practically obscuring his eyes, and he wore a pair of small glasses. The man standing close beside him was tall and broad chested, and... wearing sunglasses?

Doumeki reappeared.

"Come on, Watanuki. Let's get what Yuuko wants and get out of here." Upon hearing Yuuko's name, the blonde smiled.

"Yuuko, huh?" But Doumeki had pulled Watanuki away.

"Who were they, Kakei?" The man with sunglasses asked.

"Yuuko's errand boys." Kakei looked after the two boys' retreating backs thoughtfully. "That archer certainly has a lot on his mind... if he doesn't do something about it soon, he's going to snap. Maybe our boys will help him out a little bit." Focusing back on his boyfriend, the man sighed contentedly and put his head against the large man's chest.

"There's no use in worrying - it'll work itself out." He grinned up at his partner. "Now where were we?"

* * *

There were quite a few attractive guys dancing on the floor, but Doumeki couldn't help thinking that Watanuki was the best looking out of all of them. Especially in those tight pants. Wow. He slowed to a stop and watched, mesmerized, as Watanuki walked ahead of him. 

_Yup, that is one fuckable a-_

"What the hell, Doumeki?!" _Well crap. _He averted his eyes quickly, but it was too late. The owner of the object of his scrutiny had caught him in the act.

"Were you just…"

"Was I just what?" The archer asked innocently.

Watanuki stomped his foot like a little kid.

"Look, I don't know what has gotten into you tonight, but you need to cut it out. Seriously, ever since we got here, you've been acting strange, and…and I don't like it! So quit it!"

* * *

_What is Doumeki's problem? He's acting like he's…interested in me that way. _

_Psh. Like _that _would ever happen._

_But still…_

While Watanuki watched, Doumeki's eyes widened slightly, and then went dark. Before the seer had a chance to react, he had stepped closer until their bodies were almost touching. Watanuki could feel the archer's hot breath on his face when he spoke.

"Watanuki."

The seer froze. That wasn't Doumeki's voice. Or at least, it wasn't a voice he'd heard the archer use before. No, this voice made him shiver involuntarily, and sent blood rushing down to pool warmly in the pit of his stomach. This voice made him feel things he definitely did not want to feel. Especially not towards Doumeki, of all people.

_Oh dear._

"Watanuki, what if I told you that I didn't want to? That I didn't want to 'quit it'? What if I told you that I wanted to…" he leaned even closer until his lips were level with the shell of Watanuki's ear and lowered his voice. "….kiss you?" (3)

The slap could be heard over the loud music, and caused several people to turn away from their dance partners and search for the source.

Watanuki raised a trembling hand and backed away from a stunned Doumeki. He turned without saying a word and pushed his way through the dancing crowd towards the back of the club.

_What just happened? _Doumeki wondered, rubbing the side of his jaw. _He was telling me to quit staring at his ass, and…then what? Wait, did I actually tell him that I wanted to kiss him? _

_Well shit._

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, the boys made it to the bar. Watanuki had managed to lose Doumeki in the crowd, and by the time the archer had caught up with him, he was out of breath. 

_That's odd, I've hardly ever seen that robot out of breath before. _

It was a lot quieter, and there was thankfully enough space for them both to breath semi-comfortably. Watanuki could feel Doumeki's eyes on him as they approached the bar and made an effort to ignore them. He was relieved and a bit surprised to see a pair of familiar faces.

"Rikuou-san! Kazahaya-san! What are you two doing here?" Sure enough, the two drugstore employees were sitting at the bar, drinking what looked like beer. To Watanuki's surprise, Kazahaya blushed.

"Saiga and Kakei told us to take the night off, so we decided to –"

"Go on a date."

"CLUBBING. Go CLUBBING."

"Shuttup, Kazahaya." Rikuou turned away from his beer to face Doumeki and Watanuki.

"We're on a date."

Kazahaya sputtered in indignation, while his dark haired friend took another swig of his beer.

"Well, that's wonderful." Watanuki quickly chimed in, before Kazahaya could start yelling. "We're on a-"

"Date."

"-mission to get Yuuko some…wait a second, WHAT?!" Watanuki turned to Doumeki, whose index finger was poised and ready.

"We're on a date." Doumeki repeated, in that same strange voice.

"Um. No. No we are not. You…you…" If Watanuki's face had been red before, that was nothing compared to what it was now. He sucked in a deep breath of air:

"Why…the hell…would I EVER…go on a DATE…WITH YOU??!!" With every word, his voice rose until he was practically screaming. He was so upset that he didn't see Doumeki rub at his eyes perplexedly, and look up at him with confusion written all over his face. If Watanuki hadn't been so angry, he would have laughed at the archer's uncharacteristically baffled expression.

But he was way too angry.

"You need to STOP screwing with my head. Right now."

And with that, the boy did something extremely unexpected. Turning to Kazahaya, he reached out a fish-netted hand.

"Come on Kazahaya-san, let's dance."

Kazahaya, to Rikuou's evident surprise (indicated by the slight uplifting of an eyebrow), grinned, put down his drink, and took the extended hand.

"Sure thing."

Both walked together to the dance floor.

The two other men were left standing (or in Rikuou's case, sitting) at the bar, completely stunned.

"What just happened here?" Doumeki said in a low and carefully controlled voice.

"I think we were just rejected." Rikuou replied in an equally careful tone. "Want a beer?"

* * *

1. Well, duh. 

2. Am I right, or am I right? Middle school dance music sucks.

3. Dun dun DUN!

This was a fun chapter to write. What's wrong with Doumeki? Will Yuuko ever get her alcohol? o.O

Hope everybody had a lovely New Years! I'm almost finished with the next chapter – REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Reviews make me really happy and want to write more.

**Coming up next chapter**: The baddies show up, Doumeki gets jealous and Watanuki and Kazahaya have awesome sex.

Just kidding.


	6. Dancing

**Disclaimer: **Clamp ain't mine.

**A/N: **Well, here it is. Better short, poorly edited and late than never, right? Oh dear. Hopefully it will get easier from now on. Flame me if you'd like, but that'll probably just make me sad and less likely to update. --;;

* * *

Chapter 6: Dancing 

_I can't believe I just did that_ was all Watanuki could think as he led Kazahaya out onto the dance floor.

He could feel Doumeki's eyes boring holes into the back of his skull, and for some reason, the idea kind of…excited him. Of course, his excitement could be for a number of different reasons.

Of course.

Kazahaya looked about as embarrassed as Watanuki felt.

"Watanuki, I won't lie: I'm a terrible dancer. At least, I think I am...this isn't really my scene, you know?" He glanced quickly over to where Rikuou was leaning against the bar, and upon seeing his stare, blushed furiously.

Watanuki thought it was cute.

"Just move with the music, I guess. Look at that couple over there, they look like they've got it."

Of course, said couple chose that particular moment to start making out blatantly. Watanuki looked away quickly.

"Um...or not. Whatever."

Kazahaya laughed, and began to dance.

* * *

Rikuou and Doumeki sat in a tense silence as Watanuki and Kazahaya walked, hand-in-hand, onto the dance floor.

_Keep it cool. It's no big deal. They're only dancing. They're _FRIENDS, _Shizuka. Just friends. Friends who like to dance really…close…to…eachother…_

Rikuou reached out a hand and prevented Doumeki from standing up.

"They're just dancing, it doesn't mean anything."

Doumeki didn't believe this for a second, but slowly sat back down. It was his fault, after all. If he hadn't confronted Watanuki like he did…

Speaking of which, he still had no idea what had come over him. His own words echoed in his head:

"_What if I wanted to…kiss you?" _

Yeah, that was dumb.

But somehow, Doumeki felt a little better then he had earlier. It was almost as if a weight he didn't know existed had been lifted off his chest. He probably should have felt worse about his blurted out confession, but instead he felt…pretty good, actually.

Was this what the Witch meant when she talked about 'venting his feelings'? Maybe he really ought to confess to Watanuki.

_No. That would be a terrible idea. He freaked out at the mere mention of me kissing him. If I were to seriously confess my feelings for him, who knows what might happen?_

_Nothing good, that's for sure._

"Are you two together?" Rikuou asked in a deep voice, eyes still fixed on Kazahaya and Watanuki.

Doumeki rolled his eyes.

"He's a little slow." Rikuou nodded in understanding.

"So is Kazahaya." He looked once more in Kazahaya and Watanuki's direction before polishing off the rest of his beer.

Seeing Rikuou drink reminded Doumeki why they had come.

"Hey." he called out to the bartender, who was filling a shot glass.

"Yes?" The man was tall and thin with dark brown eyes and a pointed chin. He was wearing a white shirt with a little black bowtie.

"I'm looking for some koshu (1) for my friend's boss."

"Oh, for Yuuko? Sure, just a second." After giving the shot glass to a man at the far end of the bar, the skinny boy disappeared under the counter and resurfaced with a bottle of alcohol. He set it down and extended his hand.

"Kinomoto Touya."

"Doumeki Shizuka."

Taking his cloth, Touya carefully wiped the dust off of the old bottle.

"Thank you for picking this up. I would have brought it over myself, but I've been working a lot lately, and it's getting harder and harder to keep that brat away from Sakura. I swear, I can't leave that kaiju home alone anymore without him sneaking over..."

It was obvious this was a sensitive subject for the boy, and Doumeki rose from the bar, taking the bottle that was handed to him.

"Good luck with that." He said awkwardly. He wasn't used to having complete strangers talking with him so openly.

"Yeah, thanks."

_Strange guy _the archer thought, as he looked over to where Kazahaya and Watanuki were dancing.

Or at least, where they had been dancing.

_Uhoh._

The archer's amber eyes quickly scanned the crowd, searching for a small boy with glasses and fishnets among the mass of dancing bodies, but saw no one who matched the description. Kazahaya suddenly appeared by his side, and Doumeki turned to him accusingly.

"Where's Watanuki?"

"Oh, he's still out there dancing, I just got a little tired."

"Oh. Was….anyone with him?"

"Yeah, actually. Another guy. They seemed to know each other, though. I mean, they were getting pretty friendly, if you know what I mean…." His voice trailed off when he saw the dark look on Doumeki's face.

"Where…is…he?"

The boy drew back at the sudden change in Doumeki's voice and pointed with a slightly shaking finger. Out of the corner of his eye, Doumeki could see Rikouo glaring at him, but chose to ignore him.

"Uh, he's over there….or at least, he was." Kazahaya looked around worriedly. "He was there a second ago, I swear!"

Doumeki cursed silently.

* * *

Watanuki had only been dancing for a few minutes when he felt a shiver run up his spine. It was one of those "Somebody's watching me" shivers, one that he'd grown somewhat accustomed to, because…well, he was always being watched, really. But somehow, this shiver didn't feel like a Doumeki or malevolent spirit induced shiver, rather, it felt like a… 

"Hey there cutie." The words were soft, but were spoken close enough to his ear that Watanuki could hear them over the loud music. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in a rough place like this?"

The Pretty Thing spun around, and was quite prepared to bite the speaker's head off for talking to him so rudely, but stopped when he saw who it was. Or rather, what it was.

The creature bore an almost perfect resemblance to a normal man of medium height and build, with short, spiky brown hair and dark copper skin. The only thing to distinguish it from any other ordinary guy was it's hungry, jet-black eyes. Its canines were long and sharp, and Watanuki was reminded briefly of a fox. He looked down and, sure enough, caught a quick glimpse of a tail before the creature saw the direction of his gaze and tucked it out of sight.

A yokai (2) in jeans.

Fantastic.

* * *

1. Aged sake, basically. 

2. A spirit baddie.

I am extremely unhappy with this chapter. Extremely. So yeah, many apologies. I'll try to make things more interesting next time.

**Coming up next chapter: **More ellipses then ever before! Watanuki gets hit on, Doumeki flips a shit, and other interesting things happen.


	7. Confrontations

**A/N: **I'm not entirely sure what kind of a warning I should be putting up here. There's some heavily, heavily implied non-consent stuff in this chapter, so if you're uncomfortable with that, skip to the bottom and I'll give you a quick summary of what happened, sans details. I'm sorry if this makes anyone uncomfortable.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Clamp. I don't own xxxHolic. I don't own Battlestar Galactica. I don't own the Empire State Building. I don't own a kangaroo. I don't own Jake Gyllenhaal. I don't own an aquarium. The list goes on.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Confrontations 

The yokai's arm curled around Watanuki's waist.

"How about you dance with me for awhile?" He pulled the boy closer until his back was pressed against the demon's well-defined chest. The air around him smelled sickly sweet, like rotting fruit, and the scent was making Watanuki dizzy. He swayed and would have fallen had not the yokai supported him from behind. For some reason Watanuki found himself unable to protest the contact, and let himself lean into the other body. He felt…strange. Almost like he was intoxicated, except he hadn't had anything to drink. His thoughts grew sluggish, and arms became heavy.

"Watanuki?" Watanuki vaguely recognized the voice as belonging to Kazahaya. He sounded far away. "I'm going to go in and get something to drink. Will you be okay out here?" Watanuki could see him shifting from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"Yeah…" Watanuki replied dazedly. "Yeah, we'll be fine."

"Alright then." Still looking a bit uncertain, the drugstore employee headed back to the bar where Rikuou and Doumeki…Doumeki…

The fog that had clouded Watanuki's mind abruptly vanished, and he realized, with horror, the awkward position that he was in.

"What the HELL are you DOING?!" He screeched, and tried to break away from the yokai's vice-like grip around his waist. The attempt failed miserably, and the yokai simply chuckled and tightened his hold.

"Nothing you don't want me to do." Watanuki could feel the yokai's breath against his cheek, and blushed at the closeness. There was that smell again…

_Is this what I want him to do? _

His body certainly seemed to think so. As loathe as he was to admit it, the feeling of someone else this close was almost welcome. Aside from all the times he knew Doumeki had carried him (and he had been passed out for the majority of those times), no one had ever been this close to him before. The alien feeling was eliciting some strange responses. Some strange _physical_ responses.

_Am I seriously getting turned on by a pervert spirit grinding on me? _

The idea was disgusting, not to mention absurd. Besides, he was only a little bit hard. Not hard enough to be considered 'turned on', really.

They were just dancing, after all.

"We're only dancing." The demon echoed Watanuki's thoughts. "There's no need to be so tense, it's not like I'm coming on to you." He emphasized this last statement by grinding his pelvis against Watanuki's lower back in time with the music while simultaneously slipping a cold hand under the boy's fishnet shirt, making him gasp. "Although we could do something…more, if you'd like." He tweaked at a nipple, and Watanuki yelped. At least, he meant for it to be a yelp. What actually came out was more of a strangled moan.

_What the hell is WRONG with me?! Why am I not fighting back? _Watanuki thought furiously. _This is NOT something I should be doing right now - or ever, for that matter. Especially not with a yokai. _

But when the demon began to trail his fingers down towards Watanuki's waistline, the seer found himself unable to protest. He felt strangely detached, as if he was watching everything at a distance.

"Let's go somewhere a little quieter." The yokai murmured into Watanuki's ear.

_Yeah, like I'd go anywhere with you._

But instead of pushing away and refusing like he had planned, he just nodded dumbly. The fox-demon gripped Watanuki's arm tightly and steered them both through the crowd of people, who parted like the sea to let them pass. Watanuki allowed himself to be pulled along through a door, up a short flight of stairs and into a small, dimly lit room. Through the fog that seemed to have enveloped his mind, he could hear the door behind them close and the sound of a bolt sliding into place.

Then the spirit's arms were once again encircling his waist.

"When I saw you, I could barely believe it." While the yokai spoke, he drew circles around Watanuki's bellybutton with a sharp nail, making the boy shiver.

"There you were, the famous 'Spirit Bait', alone and completely, deliciously defenseless. Everyone in the spirit world has heard of you, you know. They all want a piece of you. I can't wait to tell them how easy you were to catch…maybe I'll even share you, for the right price." He reached out and ran a finger around Watanuki's amber eye thoughtfully. "I could get a lot for these…"

Watanuki flinched away from his touch.

"Ple…" his tongue felt heavy and useless in his mouth. He tried again. "Please. Please don't."

_Wow, that sounded really pathetic. Way to make yourself look even more pitiful, Kimihiro._

"You're cute when you beg." The yokai grinned, pinching Watanuki's cheeks playfully, and showing rows and rows of sharp, white teeth. "I think I'm going to have a little fun with you before we leave." He licked his lips and looked the boy up and down appraisingly. "You're a juicy morsel, that's for sure - I can understand why that dog follows you around everywhere."

Even in his drugged up state, the last thing the yokai said hit Watanuki like a ton of bricks.

"Wha…what are you talking about?" The 'dog' that the yokai referred to could only be Doumeki.

_He is like a dog, isn't he? A big, stupid, stubborn, emotionless, muscle-headed, reliable….loyal… dog._

But a little voice in the back of his mind whispered to him traitorously:

_If he's so loyal and reliable, why isn't he here right now?_

The yokai grinned again.

"You haven't noticed? He wants you, bait." The fox-demon's black eyes narrowed, and his features seemed to sharpen somewhat, making him look a great deal more frightening than he had before. "Well, unfortunately for him, I got here first."

Upon seeing the bewildered and frightened expression on Watanuki's face, the dangerous glint in his eyes vanished, and his predatory grin widened.

"How innocent!" He crowed delightedly. "I wonder if you taste as sweet as you look?"

Before Watanuki had a chance to blink, the yokai had leaned forward and captured his lips in a searing hot kiss.

It wasn't exactly how Watanuki had imagined his first kiss to be like. This kiss was violent, primal, and extremely one-sided, nothing like the sweet, gentle kiss he had fantasized about. Not to mention, he had planned on saving his first kiss for Himawari, not for some random demon! Things were obviously not going as planned.

The boy opened his mouth to scream, only to have a hot, slimy and rough demon-tongue shoved down his throat. The cloyingly sweet smell was everywhere now, and Watanuki began to feel incredibly dizzy.

Satisfied that he wouldn't try and escape, the Yokai removed his tongue from the seer's mouth and drew back, licking his lips.

"Mmm…I was right. And if your lips are this sweet, I can't wait to find out what the rest of you tastes like…" with what seemed like very little effort, he ripped the fishnet shirt off and slid Watanuki's skin-tight pants the rest of the way down, leaving him standing, naked except for his ringed collar and plaid boxers. In seconds, the boxers were gone too.

Everything in Watanuki's body was screaming out for him to run, fight, anything to get away from that little room, but his arms and legs refused to obey. He took a few harsh, jagged breaths, and tried desperately to clear his aching head and get his jumbled thoughts in order.

_Okay, let's see what's going on here: I'm standing buck-naked in front of a complete stranger (and demon, on top of that) who, if the look on his face is any indication, is planning to turn me into dinner. I can't move my arms or my legs, and no one knows where I am, so there's no chance of me being rescued. Even if I screamed for help, no one would hear. All things considered…I'm screwed, basically. _

_I hope he kills me quickly._

Watanuki opened his mouth to attempt another scream but all that came out was a choked cough. The yokai smirked at his failed attempt and began to unzip his jeans.

_Wait, what's…what's he doing?_

Realization dawned on Watanuki's face, and with it came a new kind of fear.

_He's not going to eat me at all…he's going to fuck me._

The knowledge of this hit him like a bucket of ice water, and for a few seconds, he could think clearly again.

"D-d-d-d-DOUMEKI!!!" Watanuki cried out before he could stop himself. "DOUME-" The yokai grabbed his hair and jerked his head back, silencing him with another violent kiss.

"Shuttup, bait. He's not here, and he's not coming anytime soon. And even if he were here, his power is far too weak for him to do anything to stop me." He gave a little sneer. "Too bad you don't put out. Well, bad for you, anyway. Good for me."

Horrified, Watanuki tried to stand up again, but only succeeded in stumbling further backwards. The yokai reached down and pulled sharply on his collar, dragging him closer.

"Don't move." And then he couldn't move. Whether it was fear that paralyzed him, or something else, he wasn't sure, but the yokai took full advantage of his immobility, and finished freeing himself from his jeans.

In the past, Watanuki had always made a point to look away when everyone was changing and showering in the locker room after gym (he personally preferred changing in a corner or in one of the bathroom stalls). He had conveniently skipped the sex-ed lecture the school had given back in 6th grade, and had never masturbated. Consequently, the sight of the Yokai's cock, huge and dripping, almost gave him a heart attack.

With one of his hands on Watanuki's head, the Yokai forced the boy to his knees. "Open your mouth." Watanuki whimpered. _He's planning on putting that thing into my MOUTH_?! It took every little bit of willpower he possessed not to comply. When it became obvious Watanuki wasn't planning on opening his mouth any time soon, all amusement in the yokai's eyes vanished.

"I said, open your mouth, bait!" He thrust two fingers between Watanuki's lips forcefully and Watanuki instinctively responded by biting down. Hard. The taste of salty blood filled his mouth, and the yokai cursed, withdrawing his fingers quickly.

"Why you…" the demon's black eyes were practically glowing with rage as he lifted the skinny boy back up and slammed him up against the wall. An ugly painting of a bouquet of flowers fell from its nail and hit the floor with a crash.

_I hope I don't have to pay for that _Watanuki thought distractedly.

"I'm done being nice, bait." The demon spat. The expression on his face was truly terrible to behold. He grabbed Watanuki's hips and dug his fingers into the sensitive flesh, making the boy cry out. His captor laughed cruelly.

"What, you think _that_ hurts? Wait until I fuck you: _then _you'll know what real pain feels like. But first…"

Watanuki felt the punch before it hit. The yokai's fist smashed into his jaw and caused his head to snap back and slam against the wall with a loud _THUMP_.

"For biting my fingers." He explained.

He then spun Watanuki around so that his face was pressed up against the wall. The rough, wooden surface scraped Watanuki's chest and stomach painfully, and he had to bite his lip to hold back another whimper. He could feel tears on his cheeks, and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out everything around him.

"My name is Natsukamoni." He hissed into Watanuki's ear. "Just in case you wanted anything to scream."

The sound of the doorknob rattling made Natsukamoni freeze, hands still digging painfully into Watanuki's sides.

"Hey, we're busy in here!" he growled. But despite his warning, the door slammed open.

"I know." The voice was filled with so much anger and disgust that Watanuki felt as though he had been punched in the face again.

_Doumeki._

Watanuki could picture what Doumeki was seeing right now: Him, completely naked and pressed up against the wall, sides covered in bloody scratches, with a man rubbing his cock between his ass cheeks…you didn't need to have a major in forensics to figure out what was going on.

_He probably thinks I'm a total whore._ The thought filled Watanuki with shame, and more tears welled up in his eyes. _I doubt he'll want any more bentos after this._

"Get off of him." There was that voice again. The tears spilled out of Watanuki's eyes and ran in little rivulets down his cheeks.

"What, you want him?" Watanuki shivered when he felt the yokai's slippery tongue tracing his jaw line. "Maybe I'll let you have him after I'm done. What's left of him, anyway."

He bit harshly into the side of Watanuki's neck, drawing blood. A few seconds later, Watanuki felt the yokai being yanked off him and thrown to the ground, much like he had been thrown only minutes before. The cracking sound that followed sounded like bones breaking, and the demon cried out in obvious pain. Eyes still clenched tightly closed, Watanuki slid to the wooden floor.

It was cold, but he didn't care. He was too tired to care. So tired… through his befuddled mind, he heard a panicked voice shouting his name, and briefly registered the feeling of someone's warm hands grabbing his shoulders and shaking them.

_Let me sleep…_

Heedless of everything around him, Watanuki slipped blissfully into a deep, drugged slumber.

* * *

**The Summary: **

So basically, while dancing all close with the yokai, Watanuki gets doped up on the yokai's 'perfume' and agrees to go off with him to a small room separate from the club. After checking Watanuki out, the demon makes it clear that Doumeki has the hots for him and Watanuki, even though he's drugged up, gets the gist. The demon proceeds to rip off his clothes and tries to force Watanuki to go down on him, but Watanuki bites his fingers (hooray Watanuki!). He gets pissed, throws Watanuki against the wall, but then the calvary arrives and beats the shit out of him. The calvary being Doumeki of course (and Rikuou and Kazahaya too, but you don't know that yet).

Coming next chapter: Things become more and more inappropriate, and Doumeki finally gets some action.

This is my longest chapter ever! Hooray! (cue streamers)


	8. Regret

**A/N: **So...hello again!

*ducks to avoid tomatoes*

**Disclaimer: **I really don't own xxxHolic, or Legal Drug. If I did, CLAMP would update much more frequently. (See what I did there? I made a joke about how I haven't updated in a million years, but CLAMP still updates even slower than I do. How clever.)*

* * *

Doumeki, Rikuo and Kazahaya fought their way through the crowd of dancers. Doumeki wasn't really one to talk to strangers, but he found himself asking everyone around him frantically whether they had seen a black haired boy wearing fishnets and a collar. He got some puzzled looks, and a few people pointed over to where Kazahaya and Watanuki had been dancing earlier, but aside from that, no one knew. And no one had seen the tall, dark skinned man that Kazahaya described, either - it was as though the two had simply vanished. The music continued to play, but Doumeki could barely hear it over the pounding of his heart in his ears.

_Please! _he thought desperately to himself, pushing his way through a sea of faceless bodies. _Please...just let him be okay._

A few agonizing minutes later, Doumeki bumped into the strange men who Watanuki had run into before. They were no longer smiling. The small blonde one raised a hand and pointed to a little door in the far wall that Doumeki hadn't seen earlier.

"They went in there." He spoke quietly, but somehow Doumeki could hear him over the thumping of the bass. Without wondering how, or bothering to reply, the archer pushed past the two men and all but ran to the door. Rikuo followed, but the man wearing sunglasses caught Kazahaya's arm, and said something that Doumeki couldn't hear. He didn't pause to wait for the boy to catch up.

Through the door was a set of narrow stairs, leading to a small hallway. At the end of the hallway was another door. Doumeki took the steps two at a time, and grabbed at the door handle, twisting it furiously. It was locked. A voice growled from within the room:

"Hey, we're busy in here!" Even through the door, Doumeki could smell something unnatural, a smell like rot and decay, masked by an unpleasant sweetness.

That was enough for him. Bracing himself, Doumeki slammed his shoulder against the door. There was a cracking of wood, and then the door burst inward.

"I know."

No matter how much he wanted to, it would be a very long time before Doumeki would be able to forget what he saw in that little room. He saw Watanuki. He saw the demon (and it was most definitely a demon - humans simply did not have canines quite so sharp, or ears so long and pointed). And then he saw red.

"**Get off him**." It was that other voice again, but this time, the voice wasn't alone.

"What, you want him?" The demon mocked, licking the trembling Watanuki's jaw. "Maybe I'll let you have him after I'm done." He grinned an evil, toothy grin. "What's left of him, anyway."

Before Doumeki could move a muscle, a broken painting rose from the ground and smashed the demon in the face with a loud CRACK! This was swiftly followed by the desk chair and several books. A brief glance to Doumeki's left confirmed the source behind the attack– Rikuo's brow was furrowed in concentration, and his eyes were carefully trained on the levitating objects. Not one to question, Doumeki used the Yokai's momentary confusion to breach his defenses and land a punch in his gut that sent the fox spirit stumbling backwards, releasing his hold on Watanuki. The boy slipped to the floor, and as Doumeki reached out in an attempt to catch him, a set of claws made contact with his left arm, leaving long, flaming red gashes in their wake.

Doumeki barely winced at the blow, enough adrenaline coursing through his veins to numb the pain almost completely. After setting Watanuki down gently on the floor, the archer turned to face the winded demon. Doumeki wasn't a good fist fighter (having had very little experience), but he channeled all his pent up energy into every blow he dealt, swinging his fists furiously until the fox demon all but collapsed onto the floor. Standing over the spirit and breathing heavily, Doumeki felt a bit comforted to know that despite his new inability to repel spirits, he was still able to do _something_ to protect Watanuki.

The creature he was fighting no longer looked like a man. It had grown a long, thin snout, and its blood-red eyes gleamed with rage. Its dark skin was now covered in a sleek brown fur which bristled when the creature snarled. Suddenly Doumeki recognized it from several of his grandfather's old texts - it was a kitsune, a fox spirit, similar to Watanuki's pipefox Mugetsu. Only Mugetsu didn't bare its teeth at Doumeki like this yokai did. No, it was definitely not Mugetsu. While he was staring at it, the creature smiled, in a way that only a creature with that many sharp teeth can smile.

"You'll never have him, dog." He said in a throaty voice.

"Look who's talking." Doumeki grunted, before kicking it in the stomach. The creature doubled over, and Doumeki was preparing to kick it again when the desk chair's second attack knocked the demon to the floor, where it lay still.

Doumeki approached the demon carefully, waiting for it to spring back up and attack him, but the creature was unconscious. So, it appeared, was Watanuki. At first he assumed the worst - the boy was still as stone, and just as cold - but upon closer inspection, he realized that Watanuki was just asleep. No matter how hard the archer tried to rouse him, he wouldn't stir.

_The bastard must have given him some kind of drug_, he thought furiously. Meanwhile, Rikuo had stepped further into the room and appeared to be assessing the damage with a grim look on his face. He looked everywhere but at the naked Watanuki, and a small, somewhat distracted part of Doumeki appreciated that.

_Okay. _The archer took several calming breaths and tried his best to keep from panicking.

_No problem. We've been in situations like this before._ _Well, not exactly like this…nothing has ever tried to...to _rape _Watanuki before. And if I had come a second later… _

A wave of intense self-deprecation washed over the archer, before he shook it off. He would have time to beat himself up after this was all over. For now, he had to get Watanuki someplace safe. Watanuki's apartment was closest, and when they got there, Doumeki would use his phone to call Yuuko.

After Doumeki had dressed Watanuki as best he could in what was left of his clothing, Rikuo wordlessly helped carry the unconscious boy back down the thin flight of stairs. For once, Doumeki needed the help. The adrenaline from the fight had begun to wear off, and the deep scratches on his arm given to him by the demon were beginning to throb painfully. He hoped they weren't going to get infected. Doumeki had taken off his shirt and used it as a temporary bandage, but it wouldn't be long before the wound bled through the cloth. They needed to get to Watanuki's apartment quickly.

* * *

The walk from the seer's apartment to the club had seemed short enough, but now that Doumeki didn't have Watanuki's tight pants and fishnets to distract him, the walk back felt like an eternity. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any spirits – or at least, none that he could tell. In the interest of getting Watanuki home as quickly as possible, both Rikuo and Doumeki had decided to leave the yokai unconscious back in the little room. Now, however, Doumeki was beginning to regret that decision. He knew that if the yokai had woken up and followed after them, they wouldn't stand a chance.

_Well, we'll just have to hope that he didn't, then._

After what had to have been hours, Rikuo left Doumeki and Watanuki at the door to the apartment, promising to bring by some pain medication for Doumeki's arm. The archer nodded at him in thanks, and dug the keys out of the potted plant.

The conversation with Yuuko was very brief. He hadn't even gotten a chance to explain to her what had happened in the club, but somehow he felt like she already knew. "Stay with him tonight, Doumeki - you both have some issues you need to work out together, whether you want to or not."

_Yeah, as though I would leave him here alone.  
_

After changing quickly into one of Watanuki's robes, Doumeki sat down carefully on the floor next to the futon, and watched the boy sleep. Instead of feeling relieved like he usually did at the sight of Watanuki lying on his futon slumbering peacefully, Doumeki felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

_I can't let that happen again. I can't let that happen again. _

The words echoed in the archer's mind like a mantra.

_I can't let that happen again._

Watanuki was safe now, tucked snugly into the futon, but Doumeki knew that the next morning, when they stepped out of the apartment, things would go back to the way they were before. If he wanted to get his powers back and be able to defend Watanuki, his…problem needed to be fixed.

As he watched Watanuki's sleeping face, images of that night at the club rose, unbidden in Doumeki's head - images of pale skin and flushed cheeks, of fishnet and bare skin and bright blue…shit. Gold eyes snapped into focus and looked down – yeah, he was hard. Bad timing too, with the object of his fantasies barely three feet away. Doumeki tried to will his arousal away, but with Watanuki so close, it was fighting a losing battle.

'_**Why fight it? This is as good of a time as any.'**_The Evil Doumeki voice was back.

'_Um, no, actually. This is a pretty bad time.'_ And it was…wasn't it?

'_**It's not like he'll wake up**_,' argued the voice. _**'He's exhausted, not to mention drugged. That boy would sleep through an earthquake.' **_

The voice had a point. Watanuki looked pretty dead to the world. Very convincingly dead-to-the-world, actually. In fact…was he even breathing?

"Shit!" Doumeki leaned forward and almost fell on top of Watanuki in his hasty attempt to check the boy's pulse. Despite his clumsiness, he managed to find it eventually, and sighed in relief. Even after he was sure Watanuki wasn't dead, the archer kept his two fingers pressed gently against the pale boy's throat. The feel of his pulse beating, slow and strong, gave him a strange sense of peace. Watanuki broke the silence with a long, contented sigh, and somewhere deep within Doumeki, a knot came undone. The hand that had been touching Watanuki's neck came up to rest on a pale cheek as the archer bent down once again, and hesitantly pressed his lips to Watanuki's.

The seer's lips were cold to the touch, and Doumeki shivered, leaning further over and bracing himself with his left arm so that his face and Watanuki's were perfectly aligned. After several seconds, he drew back and shook his head, trying in vain to clear his thoughts.

'_This is wrong. This is so, so wrong.' _

_'**Well, you'll probably never get another chance. Might as well take advantage of this one, right?' **_

It didn't take much convincing. His right hand lifted up the other boy's head as Doumeki bent down a second time. This time however, Watanuki's brow furrowed and, to the archer's surprise, he found himself being pushed back by two thin but strong arms.

"Doumeki, wait!"

Doumeki jumped back the instant Watanuki's eyelids began to flutter, and he rearranged his robe hurriedly, heart beating a mile a minute.

* * *

_The demon's voice echoed in his ears. "You haven't noticed? He wants you, Bait." The fox-demon's black eyes narrowed, and his features seemed to sharpen somewhat, making him look a great deal more frightening than he had before. "Well, unfortunately for him, I got here first."_

_Suddenly, the door burst in and Doumeki stood over him, eyes filled with something closely resembling contempt._

_"How could you let this happen, Watanuki?" he spat. "I look away for two minutes, and you manage to get yourself into this kind of situation? No, don't answer that. I don't know why I bother with you, I really don't." And with that, Doumeki turned and left the room, leaving Watanuki and the laughing yokai behind him._

"No! Doumeki, wait!"

Watanuki blinked his eyes open and was greeted by a familiar, albeit foggy, ceiling.

_A dream. It was just a dream._

Relief flooded through him like a tidal wave. But even as the details of the dream begin to fade from his memory, the expression of contempt on Doumeki's face remained, as well as a familiar feeling of dread.

_But if I'm here, that means…_

Ignoring his furiously pounding heart, Watanuki shifted his gaze to the left – no archer. Then to the right – no archer, no archer, no…shit. Foggy archer shape. Quickly, Watanuki shut his eyes, but it was…

"Too late."

_Well darn._

There was no rush of memory, no vivid images, no brutal flashbacks, just one second he had forgotten, the next, he remembered.

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'Oh'." Watanuki sat up somewhat stiffly, conscious of the scratches on his back and arms. He reached up and prodded his cheek tenderly - there was going to be a bruise there, if there wasn't one already - and looked at the archer with bleary eyes. He patted the ground around the bed, in search of his glasses. A warm hand closed around his wrist, and his glasses were pressed into his open palm.

"Um. Thanks."

"Hn."

The world became clear the instant Watanuki put on his glasses, but the strange look on the archer's face made him want to take them right back off again. He blushed hotly.

For a long time, neither of them spoke.

The boy opened his mouth to say something, anything, to break the uncomfortable silence, but before he was able to utter a single syllable, the archer was grabbing Watanuki's shoulders and shaking them furiously, a desperate, almost panicked look in his eyes.

"Don't. You. EVER. Do that to me again."

_What? _

Watanuki blinked, too shocked to register the pain of Doumeki's fingers gripping his sore shoulders.

"To…to YOU? You think I got into that…situation to make you uncomfortable??"

Doumeki released him.

"That's not what I meant."

"Well, then what DID you mean, exactly?" Watanuki was getting angry now, and the feeling was somewhat refreshing.

"I was drugged, okay? There wasn't anything I could have done. Nothing YOU could have done." Doumeki's eyes clouded at this last statement.

"Watanuki." Watanuki met his gaze unflinchingly.

"What."

"That yokai. He was going to rape you. You know that, right?"

He just _had_ to say it. As if Watanuki hadn't been there, as if he didn't KNOW. For some reason, this hurt the worst of all. He wasn't a little kid, accepting candy from a stranger and then following him back to his car. Doumeki needed to understand that.

"Look, what's your problem? I'm all right. I am. You…saved me. Again." This time he caught the flash of guilt that crossed Doumeki's face.

_Oh. He's upset because of his powers. Because he couldn't repel the demon. _This realization made Watanuki soften a little. He lowered his voice.

"We've been through this before, Doumeki, more times than I can count. You've saved me, every single time. If it weren't for you, I'd be as dead as a doornail. What else do you want me to say?" It was difficult for Watanuki to speak of what had happened at the bar so lightly, but the archer was taking this too hard, and for once, Watanuki didn't have the heart to blame him.

"I shouldn't have let you go. I shouldn't have let you wear those clothes. I shouldn't have…" Doumeki's voice trailed off, and he shifted on the floor uncomfortably.

"You're not my keeper, idiot." Watanuki said, without malice. He let his eyes fall to his hands, clasped nervously in his lap. It was now or never.

"So, you…" he paused and took a breath "The yokai said…that is, he inferred that you…might possibly have…be…" He looked up quickly, and upon meeting Doumeki's heated gaze, promptly changed his mind. "He seemed to know that you had lost your powers."

_Coward._

The intense look was gone, and Watanuki could practically hear the doors shutting and locking behind Doumeki's eyes, as the archer's face began to recover its normal, stony expression.

_NO! I can't let that happen! I want to know! I _need _to know!_

For several seconds, there was a heavy silence.

"Well, I'd imagine that the fact he was able to…"

"WAIT." Doumeki paused, looking at him disinterestedly. "What."

Watanuki gritted his teeth.

"Do you…like me?"

Again, there was silence. Only this silence was different than before, somehow. Watanuki held his breath, waiting, dreading Doumeki's answer.

"Now, what makes you think that?"

_Okay, that wasn't exactly a no. _Was it his imagination, or did Doumeki sound a bit...sarcastic?

"The yokai mentioned something about you…" he blushed "wanting me. But I could have misinterpreted!" he added, hurriedly. "Or misheard. I wasn't exactly in my right mind."

"No."

_Ah, I thought so. Well that's…good, I guess._

"No, you didn't mishear." _Oh, alri-wait, what?  
_

"I didn't?" Watanuki wasn't sure what to say to that. He wasn't really sure what to feel, either.

"No." The archer's voice was flat. "I do, I…Watanuki…" Watanuki couldn't believe what he was hearing. A warm sensation flooded his body, and he felt something unfamiliar and not altogether unpleasant stir from deep within him.

"Watanuki, I like you."

There was a stunned silence.

"You…like…me?"

"Yes. I like you." The archer stood up and tucked his hands into the folds of his robe. When he spoke next, his voice was strained."You should get some more sleep. The drug still hasn't worked its way out of your system." And with that, Doumeki turned and left the room, leaving Watanuki speechless.

* * *

The hands hidden in the folds of his robe had stopped shaking by the time Doumeki made it out of Watanuki's bedroom, but he felt like his heart was about ready to jump out of his chest.

It wasn't until he made it to the living room that the archer allowed himself to relax. He sat crossed-legged on the couch, closed his eyes and prepared himself for some kind of affirmation that he had regained his powers.

Ten minutes of meditation later, and there didn't seem to be any change. Doumeki didn't understand. Hadn't he confessed his feelings? Why then, did nothing seem any different? Shouldn't there have been flashing lights, or a feeling of relief, or some other kind of indicator that his powers had come back? But no, he felt the same as before.

He was mentally preparing himself to wait another 5 minutes when the voice broke the silence.

**_'You _like_ him?'_**

Oh. That would explain it.

**_'Idiot. You don't _like_ him. You're _obsessed_ with him.'_**

_''Obsessed' is such a strong word…'_ Doumeki protested weakly. But the voice was right. His 'confession' hadn't been entirely honest.

The voice gave the mental equivalent of a sigh.

_**'Alright. If you aren't going to take care of this the **_**real _way, then I'm going to do it for you._**_**'**_

* * *

Doumeki will get some action soon. Scout's honor.

Review if you'd like, I realize that I'm a bit rusty (understatement of the century), but under your care and guidance, I will improve! :D Con crit is definitely not ignored.

3

*This isn't true, but I'm sure you know that already.


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